In
a post-apocalyptic America Texans are no longer free. After they rose up
against the government 200 years ago and bombed the White House and Pentagon
they have been reduced to slaves for their treason. Raised on farms like cattle
they are tattooed with a bar code and must do all of the work that their
betters don’t want to do. In addition, children of a certain age must stand on
line when a First shows up at a farm looking for a Second. The Texans don’t
have a clue what being a Second really means because they aren’t allowed to
watch television. The only things they know are that the Second is Absolved of
their ancestor’s crime, they leave the farm with their First never to return
and it’s a great honor.

When
the first of the Firsts, Socrates, shows up at Chesaning Farms and chooses Mira
as his Second a set of events is put into motion that will have repercussions
across the country. Live Once rebels are working tirelessly to take out the
Firsts and save the Seconds and as many of the country’s children as they can.
Mira, resentful, but resigned to being chosen is about to find out what the
free people consider an honor and why Live Once is dead set against the process.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place what is Mira going to do?

Told
from the alternating points of view of Socrates and Mira this story puts forth
an interesting concept in a well-written and fast-paced plot. The fact that the
Texans revolted and were consequentially enslaved for their treason and that
science had progressed far enough to create the Firsts were interesting while
at the same time frightening. Socrates is someone it’s hard to hate and I like
those kinds of ‘villains.’ Mira is young and ignorant of the way things truly
are and you just want to pull her aside and spill what you know. People trapped
by circumstance and by government control are always good fodder for an
excellent rebellion and this story is no different as the rumblings of that rebellion
heat up. At the end we are left with a stunning decision and an anxious anticipation
of the next book. I can’t wait to see what happens next!